Dispenser for multiple material webs



United States Patent [72] Inventor RemoMar-iani Berkeley Heights, NJ. [21] AppLNo. 751,493 [22] Filed Aug. 9, 1968 [45] Patented Dec. 15, 1970 73] Assignee Thomas & Betts Corporation Elizabeth, NJ. a corporation of New Jersey [54] DISPENSER FOR MULTIPLE MATERIAL WEBS 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 225/38, 225/42, 225/47, 225/80 2 l 2 /55. 3 [51] Int.Cl B26l3/02 [50] 83/649, 12/107, 111,39

5561 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 757,844 4/1904 Scott 225/38 2,815,906 12/1957 Hofmeir 225/38 FOREIGN PATENTS 771,876 4/1957 Great Britain 225/47 1,235,845 5/1960 France 312/107 Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant ExaminerLeon Gilden AttorneyDavid Teschner ABSTRACT: The disclosure is directed to a dispenser for dispensing multiple webs of material adapted to be bench or wall mounted. The dispenser consists of a housing having therein a plurality of apertures through which individual material webs may be passed. Mounted within the housing is a rack assembly for receiving and selectively holding individual webs of material such that individual webs may be replaced or removed at will. Coupled to each of the housing apertures is a material end support having at a first end thereof a cutting edge for severing, in desired lengths, the material passed thereover. Slots in the material end supports at its end, opposite from that containing the cutting edge, are provided so that the position of the end support, with respect to the housing, may be selectively established in order to facilitate maximum packing density of the webs of material contained within the housing. Two opposite faces of the housing are preformed with slots therein to permithousings to be stacked one atop another and to provide for coupling with a mounting base such'that a single dispenser, or stack of dispensers may be mounted to a mounting surface. Provision is also made in the dispenser housing for mounting the housing to a bulkhead or wall or other mounting surface. The rack for mounting and positioning individual material webs may be unitary such as to accept a plurality of such material webs or may be modular so that one web will be accommodated by each of the modular rack modules.

PATENTEU was] 519m 3; 547 32-7 sum 1 or 2 INVEN'IOR. REMO MARIAN! ATTORNEY DISPENSER FOR MULTIPLE MATERIAL WEBS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention is directed to the field'ofdispensing a plurality of material webs and particularly to the dispensing of desired lengths of marking tapes for the marking of cables, conductors or other similar articles.

2. Description of the Prior Art In prior art devices for the dispensing of a plurality of material webs such as marking tapes, provision is made to place the individual material webs upon a unitary-axle which is in turn mounted within the housing of the dispenser. Provision is made for a single support unit for supporting the material ends and further provision is made for a single cutting device adapted to traverse the entire support severing the material webs which have been placed in its path. Due to the unitary construction of the housing and supports and cutting device, the device is generally of great weight and bulk. Further, in order to change individual material webs, whether due to the expiration of the material upon a hub, or because the information printed upon the web is inappropriate to the particular situation, it is necessary to remove the entire axle thus removing all the webs contained within the dispenser housing. As a result, the remaining webs may not be employed during such replacement time. It is further necessary that all of the material webs adjacent the web to be replaced must be taken off of the axle so as to permit the removal and replacement of the desired web.

SUMMARY or THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the difficulties noted above with respect to prior art devices for dispensing aplurality of material webs. This is accomplished by the provision of a dispenser housing having mounted therein a rack means for supporting and positioning individual material webs such that any one or a plurality of such webs may be selectively removed without disturbing the adjacent'webs within the dispenser. Further, provision is made for material support ends which can bepositioned selectively adjacent apertures placed within the housing through which the material webs are dispensed. These material end. supports each having its own cutting edge may be selectively positioned in-order to increase the packing density of material webs placed within the dispenser housing. Further, in order to increase the packing density of the material webs placed within the dispenser, the apertures in the housing through which the tapes are dispensed may be staggered and the material end supports similarly staggered such that the withdrawal of a particular material web will not interfere with those adjacent to it. Because the individual material end supports include their own cutting edge and because the support rack within the dispenser housing for supporting individual material webs are each fully replaceable damage to any particular part of the dispenser can be easily corrected by the replacement of that vportion without disturbing the remaining portions of the dispenser. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved form of dispenser for dispensing a pluralityv of material webs.

in the packing density of the material webs contained within the dispenser.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide an improved dispenser for a plurality of material webs to be selectively stacked and fastened to mounting surfaces.

It is still another still another of this invention to provide an improved dispenser for a plurality of material webs wherein a support rack contained-within a dispenser housing may be fabricated as an individual module and wherein the associated support end and cutting edge are similarly fashioned as discrete modules whereby replacement of component portions of the dispenser is possible without disruption of other material webs placed within the dispenser.

Other objects and features of the invention will be pointed out in the following descriptionand claims and illustrated in 'the'accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of examp le,the principles of the invention, and the best mode which has been contemplated for carrying it out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEDRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a dispenser constructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a portionof one end wall of a dispenser housing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a mounting bracket employed with the dispenser of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a support rack employed with the dispenser of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a material end support and cutting means as employed with the dispenser of FIG. I; and

FIG. '6 is a side elevation, partially. in section, of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

Similar elements are given similar reference characters in each of the respective figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to FIG. 1 there is shown a dispenser 10 for dispensing a plurality of individual material webs 12 each of which may bear indicia such as 14 thereon. Dispenser 10 consists of a housing 16 open at its top and bottom surfaces. The end walls 18 are preformed with slots 2I )-to receive therein portions of a mounting bracket 22. The portions of the walls 18 adjacent the slots are deformed such that the portion 24 is formed outwardly whereas the portions 26 are formed inwardly (see FIG. 2) so that when slid upon the end of the bracket 22, the bracket 22 and housing 16 are joined. Apertures 28 placed in the bracket 22 permit the dispenser 10 to be mounted to a mounting surface (not shown). Placed in the back surface 30 of the housing 16 are keyhole slots 32 which permit the dispenser 10 to be mounted upon an upward extending mounting surface or bulkhead (not shown).

Placed within the front surface 34 of the housing 16 are a plurality of square apertures 36. The apertures 36 are staggered along two lines such that odd-numbered ones of the material webs 12 will be passed through an aperture 36 on the higher line and those in even-numbered positions passed through the apertures 36 on the lower line. Coupled to each of the apertures 36 is a material end support 38 which may be positioned in one of two selective positions as is shown at 38a and 38b.

Turning now to FIG. 3 there is shown a mounting bracket 22 as is shown in FIG. 1. Mounting bracket 22 has mounting ears 40 and 42. Mounting ear 40 will extend along the front face 34 of the dispenser housing 16 whereas the ear 42 will extend along the rear face 30 of the dispenser housing 16. Mounting apertures 28 are positioned along the tab 44 such that the mounting bracket 22 may be fastened to a mounting surface. The upper edge 46 of the mounting bracket 22 will be engaged by the slotted portion of the sidewalls 18 such that the portion 24 will extend over edge 46 on the frontal portion 48 thereof while the portions 26 of the sidewall 18 will extend along the back portion 50 of the edge 46 of the bracket 22. Since the upper portion of the housing 16 is opened one dispenser 10 stacked upon another will have its portions 24 and 26 engage the upper edge 52 of the end walls 18 of the lower dispenser l0.

Turning now to FIG. 4 there is shown a support rack 60 for supporting the individual ones of the material webs 12 within the housing 16. Rack 60 has two outlying marginal areas 62 and 64 which will engage in locking relationship with locking tabs placed on the housing 16 as will be described below with reference to FIG. 6. Extending from the marginal portions 62 and 64 are support members 66. Each of the end support members 66a, only one of which is visible in FIG. 4, have at their mid areas a single pair of spring fingers 68. Intermediate support members 66b have at their mid areas two pairs of spring fingers 68. Spring fingers 68a will combine with spring fingers 68 of the end supports 66a to support, position and hold the axle, or hub, of a single material web. The second set of spring fingers 68b cooperate with the spring fingers 68c of the intermediate support 660 to support a further material web. Alternatively, it is possible to construct the rack in such a manner, as is shown in the dotted line such that an individual module arrangement is complete in itself, having the desired two pairs of spring fingers 68. The entire rack 60 is fabricated of flexible material such as steel, or plastic, so that the marginal portions 62 and 66 can be brought into engagement with support and locking tabs on the housing 16 as will be described below with reference to FIG. 6 and such that spring fingers 68 will be permitted to expand and close about the axle, or hub, ofa material web placed therein.

Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown the details of a material ends supports 38. Material ends support 38 has a first wall 70 and a second wall 72 each having therein a plurality of slots 74. Slots 74a and slot 74b are arranged so that the position of the material end support 38 may be that shown as 380 or 38b in FIG. 1. Material end support 38 terminates at a hub 76 across which the material web 12 is passed. The end walls 70 and 72 have further slots 78 therein into which is placed a cutting edge 80. Cutting edge 80 may be staked to the hub 78 by means of a fastening device such as 82 or in the alternative may be constructed intrically with the end hub 78 to eliminate the necessity for the slots 78 and the staking as by means of a fastener 82. Although two sets of slots 74a and 74b are shown to position the material end support 38 to two distinct positions, a plurality of such slots 74 may be employed if it is desired to have additional positions for the material end support 38.

Turning now to FIG. 6 there is shown an end view, partially in section, of an assembled dispenser. Struck from the back surface 30 of the dispenser housing 16 is a support tab 90 and a locking tab 92. Struck from the front surface 34 is a support tab 94 and a locking tab 96. In order to insert the rack 60 into the proper position, as is shown in FIG. 6, support members 66 are slightly compressed towards one another and the bottom portions of the upturned margins 62 and 64 will then be positioned with respect to the support tabs 90 and 94. When the compressing forces upon the support members 66 are released they spring outwardly and engage the backwall l6 and the front wall 34 and thus positioning their upward extremes in contact with the locking tabs 92 and 96 respectively. The curved ends of the marginal portions 62 and 64 also act to guide themselves into the desired position. For a unitary rack 60 four sets of support tabs and locking tabs are required. If the rack 60 is made up of separate modules two pairs of support tabs and locking tabs are provided for each module. Once the rack 60 has been positioned individual material webs such as 12 can be positioned so that its hub 98 is forced between the spring fingers 68. It should be recalled the hub 98 is merely the hub for a single material web 12 and does not extend through all of the webs 12 mounted within the housing 16. Hub 98, will for example, nest between the spring fingers 68a and 68b as is shown in FIG. 4. Then the web 100, contained upon the material web 12, is conducted over a material end support 380 or 38b in accordance with the position of the web 12 in the group of webs, For example, as is shown in FIG. 1, the first in each succeeding odd-numbered web, starting from the left hand portion of the figure are conducted through the upper line of apertures 36 and across material end supports in the position shown by support 380. The second and each succeeding even-numbered web of material will be conducted as 102 through the lower set of apertures 36 and across a material end support such as 38b. It should be noted however, that should the packing density not be critical, all the apertures 36 may be mounted along a single center line and each of the material end supports 38 mounted along the same line. Should additional spacing be required more than two rows of apertures 36 may be provided and additional slots 74 provided in the material end supports 38 to facilitate additional positions of the material end supports 38. When a single one of the material webs 12 has been used up, or should it be desirable to change 'a particular web 12 this may easily be done without disturbing adjacent material webs in that each is separately mounted upon its own hub and separately supported upon the web rack 60. In a similar fashion, should anything effect the material ends supports 38, or the cutting blades thereupon the material end supports 38, or the blades could readily be replaced.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied in the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the devices illustrated and in their operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for dispensing from any one of a plurality of material webs comprising: a housing having a plurality of apertures therein, one for each of said webs; said apertures proportioned to permit the passage ofa web therethrough; a plurality of material end supports, one for each said plurality of apertures; said material end supports being mounted adjacent its associated aperture; a plurality of cutting means, one for each of said plurality of material end supports; each of said cutting means coupled to its associated material end support; rack means in said housing for receiving and positioning individual ones of said plurality of material webs and permitting said material webs to be dispensed upon the application of an external force to the ends of said material webs to cause said webs to pass through their associated housing apertures, over associated material end supports and be cut to desired lengths by their associated cutting means; said rack means further comprising two pairs of spring fingers for each of said material webs to releasably engage and hold the hub ofa material web; support members coupled to said spring fingers to position said material hubs with respect to the associated ones of said housing apertures; and said housing has a plurality of pairs of support tabs and locking tabs for receiving in locking engagement the free ends of said support members whereby said rack means is releasably locked to said housing.

2. A dispenser for dispensing from any one of a plurality of material webs comprising: a housing having a plurality of apertures therein, one for each of said webs; said apertures proportioned to permit the passage ofa web therethrough; a plurality of material end supports, one for each of said plurality of apertures; said material end supports being mounted adjacent its associated aperture; a plurality of cutting means, one for each of said plurality of material end supports; each of said cutting means coupled to its associated material end support; rack means in said housing for receiving and positioning individual ones of said plurality of material webs and permitting said material webs to be dispensed upon the application of an external force to the ends of said material webs to cause said webs to pass through their associated housing apertures, over associated material end supports and be cut to desired lengths by their associated cutting means; said rack means comprising a plurality ofindividual support modules; each of said modules comprising two pairs of spring fingers to releasably engage and hold the hub ofa material web; and support members coupled to said spring fingers to position said materialhub with respect to the associated ones of said housing apertures; said housing has a plurality of pairs of support tabs and locking tabs, two

airs for each of said support modules; and said pairs of support tabs and locking tabs receiving in locking engagement the free ends of said support members of one of said support modules of said rack whereby said support modules are releasably locked to said housing.

3. A dispenser for dispensing from any one of a plurality of material webs comprising: a housing having a plurality therein, one for each of said webs; said apertures proportioned to permit the passage of a web therethrough; a plurality of material end supports, one for each of said plurality of apertures; said material end supports being mountedadjacent its associated aperture; a plurality of cutting means, one for each of said plurality of material end supports, each of said cutting means coupled to its associated material end support; and rack means in said housing for receiving and positioning individual ones of said plurality of material webs and permitting said material webs to be dispensed upon the application of an external force to the ends of said material webs to cause said webs to pass through their associated housing apertures, over associated material end supports and be cut to desired lengths by their associated cutting means; and each of said material end supports has slots in its end remote from the associated cutting means for releasably engaging selected edges of said housing apertures whereby said end supports are locked to said housing.

4. A dispenser for dispensing from any one of a plurality of material webs comprising: a housing having a plurality of apertures therein, one for each of said webs; said apertures proportioned to permit the passage of a web therethrough; a plurality of material end supports, one for each of said plurality of apertures; said material end supports being mounted adjacent its associated aperture; a plurality of cutting means. one for each of said plurality of material end supports; each of said cutting means coupled to its associated material end support; and rack means in said housing for receiving and positioning individual ones of said plurality of material webs and permitting said material webs to be dispensed upon the application of an external force to the ends of said material webs to cause said webs to pass through their associated housing apertures, over associated material end supports and be cut to desired lengths by their associated cutting means; and each of said material end supports has a plurality of slots at its end remote from the associated cutting means for releasably engaging selected edges of said housing apertures whereby said end supports are locked to said housing in any one of a plurality of selectable positions.

P0405) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 547,327 Dated December 15 1970 lnvent fl Remo Mariani It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 5, line 7, after "plurality" insert of apertures Cairn-LB ml) '31.; ".29 19'" m1. AM

Edwardlflewhmlf- I mm 3- mm, JR M officer Commissioner of Patents 

